Finding a Cultural Fit with Your Employer

It can be so exciting to get a job offer or to find a postdoc position that it can be tempting to look no further. However, finding the right “fit” involves many dimensions beyond just the research focus. Universities, companies, governmental agencies, and non-profits each have their own cultures. Furthermore, individual departments or even specific research groups may operate with their own norms and practices. Regardless of your sector, you will spend a lot of your waking life at work. Doing your research on the work environment will go a long way towards determining your long-term satisfaction and success.

Often, people believe an organization’s culture is the same as its mission. However, the culture goes beyond statements to understanding how work gets done and what work gets valued, and by whom. You will be making a big decision for both your short- and long-term future. Therefore, you should reflect on the things that matter most to you in a future employer and job responsibility. With this information in hand, you will be set up for a successful transition, and hopefully, a long and satisfying career.

How do you find out if something is the right fit for you? Here are a few questions you can ask.

Where Do You Fit? First ask yourself what you need to not just survive, but to flourish. Not sure? Here are some self-assessment questions to get you started.

Do you agree with the company’s stated mission, vision and values? All employers publish their mission statement. Make sure it fits with your own convictions. Do your due diligence and interview current (or former) employees to see if and how those values are practiced or demonstrated day-to-day. Find out how the organization is viewed within the community where it resides.

With which management style are you most comfortable? For example, do you like decisions to be made autocratically or independently; based on consensus building or at the whim of a single individual? There are many methods of communication — do you like meetings and face-to-face interactions or would you rather respond to written requests (e.g., email and task lists)? What is your place within the organizational chart, and will you have enough access to your supervisors and decision makers?

What is the work-life balance you are seeking? Do you “live to work” or “work to live”? These two choices are very different, and they will affect personal relationships at work. For example, are you free (and willing) to work late nights or on weekends? Will you feel left out if your colleagues regularly go to happy hour while you have other after-work commitments? Importantly, is the job located in a part of the country or the world where you can be happy?

What are the day-to-day practices at work? You should be aware of general policies governing your workday: e.g., dress code, benefits, annual review, methods for evaluation and improvement, etc. How transparent and equitable are the practices for receiving recognition and promotion? It’s important to gather as much information prior to transitioning to a new job so you’re not surprised on day one.

Do Your Homework: Treat your job search like a research project. Gather as much information as possible to inform your decision. Don’t think, “I can tolerate anything — how bad can an organization’s culture be?” This is simply not true, and you want to set yourself up for success!

Check references: When discussing a potential job offer, ask to review employee surveys. Make use of your interactions with current employees during the interview process to ask pointed questions about their experiences and whether they’re truly happy. Importantly, ask about employee turnover rate — this number will be low in successful organizations with satisfied employees.

Set priorities: It’s unlikely a single opportunity will satisfy all of the things you’re looking for in an organizational culture. Therefore, after your self-assessment, ask yourself what the 1-2 things that are most important to you? If you are not sure how to assess or prioritize, check out Doug’s Guides for a few short self-assessments that can help you learn more about your own work style and work culture preferences.

Acknowledgments: Insights shared here were featured in a workshop by Claudia Adkison and Kevin Grigsby at the National Postdoctoral Association meeting, March 2017 San Francisco.

How Prof. Pepper Schwartz Works

Pepper Schwartz, Professor

Department/program: Sociology
Research focus: Intimate Relationships, Sexuality, Gender, Communication

Got love problems? As a sociologist and sexologist, Pepper Schwartz has some solutions. She is the author of 16 books, including The Great Sex Weekend, The Lifetime Love and Sex Quiz Book, and Everything You Know About Love and Sex is Wrong. She’s the national Love & Relationship Expert & Ambassador for the AARP, and has written advice columns on love and sex for decades. Got time management problems? Schwartz helps us tackle those, too, with a few tips for getting things done.

Work

Give us a one-word description of how you work:

Focused

How do you manage your to-dos?

I make a lot of lists and constantly revise them (especially when I continually don’t meet my own expectations of what I hope to accomplish on a specific day). I sometimes put them on my phone, but I really am still a paper and pencil girl, so I usually have a sheet of paper near my desk about what I hope to do and what is on the horizon. I am often wildly optimistic and have to deal with the often experienced reality that everything takes longer than you think it will.

What are your essential apps, software or tools?

I use my computer and my iPhone. I am not a technophobe but I am a late adopter to say the least.

Where do you most often work?

I go back and forth between my home office and my office at the University. I almost always working at a desk. I think I am trained to work at a desk. When I am working with someone else it will often be at a table. A few times I have gone away with a co-author just to get away from anything but the project at hand.

How do you manage your time?

Sometimes well; sometimes not so impressively. I tend to write every day, but the time of day changes depending on what else I have to do (teach, see friends, family stuff, traveling). I am very efficient and focused on airplanes. I think of them as big floating offices and get a lot done on them.

What is your best time-saving shortcut?

I have someone else to do some of the library research for me. When she or he has assembled either summaries of things I need to read, or arranged the articles for me to read them, I can write speedily and well. I also try and hire student workers for just about everything I can: to write letters, follow up on lecture commitments, get supplies, you name it.

What are some of your productivity strategies you’ve honed over your years in academia?

I have worked a lot with graduate students which, of course, helps us both. I love having someone to think with; sometimes they write the first draft, but I often do, or edit quite heavily. I also write a lot late at night when it’s quiet in the house and I can get mesmerized by what I am doing without interruptions.

Life

What mundane thing are you really exceptional at?

I write first drafts very quickly.

What are you currently reading for pleasure?

I have decided just this year to read fiction again — a seriously guilty pleasure. I read Circling the Sun, a fictionalized story about Beryl Markham, the woman pilot in Africa who was part of a fascinating group of people. I am in a book club and this helps me try out things I wouldn’t ordinarily read. I do love historical biographies too and will go through binges of reading them — and then stop when I need to use that time for something else. I also do some travel writing and research, so I love to read travel writers and travel magazines.

What’s the last thing that made you laugh?

Amy Schumer in Trainwreck. It was a hysterical movie — she is crude and funny and very smart. I love movies that are not tragic or violent — that sculpts my choices down a bit.

How do you recharge?

I ride my horse, play with my dogs, have dinner with my guy, meet a friend for coffee. I love almost any kind of romantic travel.

What’s your sleep routine like?

Uneven. When I am with my fiancé we go to sleep at about 10 p.m. When I am home alone I tend to read or work or watch a movie too late. When I am home alone, my dogs gather ‘round me and my German Shepard takes Fred’s place on the other pillow. Wherever I am, I wake up about 7 a.m.

Inspiration

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Never sell yourself short. Another thing that sounds bad but was invaluable was when my mom told me, “remember you are always alone.” She meant that you had to be true to yourself and not do things just to be liked or fit in. Ultimately you are alone with yourself, and you better learn how to like that and be comfortable with that.

Who’s your support system?

I am lucky, and I have worked hard to have depth and quantity in my support system. It includes many close women friends, a few close male friends, my fiancé, my son and daughter. When I was younger I had an extraordinary colleagueship and friendship with Phil Blumstein. He was my colleague, co-author and best friend for many years. Tragically, he died of AIDS and like many gay men of his time was robbed of the full length of life he deserved. He was amazing and we were continually with each other for twenty years. I have another close friend who teaches in L.A., Janet Lever who has been my friend and often co-author since undergraduate school days. I am close to several ex-students and people who have worked with and for me.

What pitfall do you consistently see students falling into?

Doing their dissertation on something that is not their passion and not something they can build a deep research agenda around.

What do your most successful students do?

Get passionate about a research area, snag a professor to help them develop it, publish early and stay excited about their work.

How UW Works was inspired by LifeHacker’s How I Work.

Did you enjoy this series? Check back Wednesdays during the Spring quarter for the latest mid-week motivation! While you wait, you can read more in this series, nominate a student or professor to be featured, or answer the questions yourself! (Students should answer the questions via this form; faculty should use this form. If you prefer to answer the questions over email, drop us a line at gradnews@uw.edu).

How Prof. Dee Boersma Works

Dee Boersma, Wadsworth Endowed Chair in Conservation Science and Director, Center for Ecosystem Sentinels

Department/Program: Biology
Research focus: Seabirds and Conservation

Known as the Jane Goodall of penguins, Boersma is, by all accounts, a force of nature. At age 22, she spent a year living on the uninhabited Galapagos Islands, studying penguins. Since then, she has become a highly distinguished researcher of seabirds. Her research focuses on the well-being of penguins and what they tell us about the state of our environment. Boersma has received more than a dozen awards for her work, including a UW Distinguished Teaching Award in 1993.

Work

Give us a one-word description of how you work:

Smart.

How do you manage your to-dos?

Often with lists.

What are your essential apps, software or tools?

There are few apps I enjoy.

Where do you most often work?

Outside.

How do you manage your time?

I save some for something I want to do.

What is your best time-saving shortcut?

I use a canned letter for students interested in graduate school that is long, detailed, and should help them think about if they need to go to graduate school and where they should consider applying.

Life

What are you currently reading for pleasure?

The AARP magazine.

How do you recharge?

I get away from apps, email and other technologies.

What’s your sleep routine like?

I go to bed at 10:21 each night.

Inspiration

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

It doesn’t matter where you go to graduate school as long as it is a PAC-12, Big 10 or Ivy League School.

Who’s your support system?

My friends.

What pitfall do you consistently see students falling into?

Not focusing on the problem they are trying to solve. They get distracted by technology and do not spend time thinking.

What do your most successful students do?

They use their time productively and work smart.

How UW Works was inspired by LifeHacker’s How I Work.

How Prof. Shawn Wong Works

Shawn Wong, Professor
Department/program: English and Comparative Literature, Cinema and Media
Research focus: Asian American literature, fiction, screenwriting, creative writing

Professor Shawn Wong has taught around the globe — at Universität Tübingen (Germany), Jean Moulin Université (Lyon, France), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) and at the University of Washington Rome Center (Italy). He’s been honored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the author of several anthologies and novels; one of his novels, American Knees, was made into a movie in 2013. He is one of the founding teachers of The Red Badge Project, a collaboration with actor Tom Skeritt that uses the power of storytelling to help veterans process trauma. He’s given advice for first-year students at the UW, and now he’s giving us some tips and tricks for getting it all done.

Work

Give us a one-word description of how you work.

Creatively.

How do you manage your to-dos?

I write them down in a notebook, then try and remember where I put the notebook.

What are your essential apps, software or tools?

Word, Google, the New York Times

What is your best time-saving shortcut?

I work in my office rather than at home.

What are some of your productivity strategies you’ve honed over your years in academia?

Though it takes more time, I prefer to meet face-to-face with my students rather than send them an email so that we can have a conversation, debate, come to agreement, etc. I like to “see” that they understand something. I think it’s more effective to comment on their writing in person rather than write notes in the margin that they might not read. Also, I like my students to work collaboratively on almost everything from writing papers, doing research and even taking exams.

Life

What mundane thing are you really exceptional at?

Housecleaning.

What are you currently reading for pleasure?

Novels written by friends of mine (so I don’t have to lie to them anymore about having read their books).

What’s the last thing that made you laugh?

My son’s concept of the world.

How do you recharge?

I own a 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner muscle car.

Inspiration

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

My mentor, the American writer Kay Boyle, told me, “Writing is about belief.”

Who’s your support system?

My family.

What pitfall do you consistently see students falling into?

Choosing a path that they aren’t committed to, or choosing a path that’s chosen by their parents or someone else.

What do your most successful students do?

They find a path that satisfies their heart and their mind.

How UW Works was inspired by LifeHacker’s How I Work.

Tips for Postdocs from National Postdoc Association Meeting

On March 18-19, 2017, leadership from OPA and UWPA participated in the 15^th Annual National Postdoc Association meeting in San Francisco. Three members from the Fred Hutch Student and Postdoc Advisory Committee also attended, and a postdoc from Center for Infectious Disease Research (CIDR) so Seattle was well-represented! There were many good working sessions and an opportunity to learn from our peer institutions and other postdoc-led organizations. Here are just a few insights for postdocs gathered from the meeting – we will be sharing more in the coming weeks.

Seek experiences outside your primary research group. Peter Fiske, plenary speaker and consultant/entrepreneur, advised spending as much as 20% of your time exploring other resources and experiences on and off campus. Academic training is good at providing deep expertise, and yet “you have a keel without a boat”. PhDs have a tremendous amount to offer, but need more experience in adaptability, collaborative problem-solving, leadership to be successful in future careers, in and outside academia.
All jobs come through relationships. Expand your network. Networking is about genuine relationships created through shared interests or connections; it is not about shallow schmoozing with dozens. Use your existing network of peers and advisors to connect you. Ask for help. Join our UW Postdoc LinkedIn group as one starting point, and seek out other online spaces (including Twitter) where your professional societies or disciplines connect.
Know your rights. As a pregnant postdoc, you have federal protections under the ADA and Title IX. We will do a separate blog post on this to clarify rights of pregnant and parenting postdocs. One national survey showed only 40% of pregnant postdocs requested some kind of accommodation during pregnancy (e.g. modifying schedules, avoiding lifting, limiting toxic exposures, etc.) as compared to 70% in other sectors. You need to ask – it is a protected right!
Build your Mentoring Plan: We heard advice from the NSF program officers that the culture is changing for postdocs from an apprenticeship model (where you learn by doing and watching) to professional training model. Be explicit with your research advisor about the time you want to spend on professional development, how and why. And build your mentoring team also, so you have a broader base of input to guide your career development.
Include Work/Life Balance in your IDP. Resilience is coping with, bouncing back from, and adapting to difficult situations – and academic life is full of them. Resilience requires we invest in ourselves and the things that renew or sustain us. Set goals and milestones for dimensions of the “wellness wheel” that are important for you now (e.g. financial, physical, nutritional, relational, spiritual…). Schedule yourself on your calendar to make sure these things happen.
Make your dollars go further. Apply for travel awards through professional societies and foundations. Ask your PI or department to match what you bring in. Seek external sponsors for events you want to hold (e.g. donating pizza to a lunch gathering). Consult with the librarian who researches funding sources and can advise you on tailoring your searches (at UW it is the Graduate Funding Information Service).
Culture Fit: If you are considering a position, how do you find out about the organizational culture there? Culture goes beyond stated vision and values to daily practices, and how people engage with each other. Culture is “the way we do things around here”. Ask a range of people about it during your interviews and site visits. Also, do the self-reflection and assessment work to learn what is most important to you in a workplace culture (what makes you happy and productive?). Do your research and ask yourself: Will you thrive, personally and professionally in the organizational culture?

And don’t forget that all UW postdocs, faculty, and staff are eligible for a free membership with NPA because UW is a sustaining institutional member. You get access to resources behind their firewall and also connected with their networks. Please email OPA if you are interested in the affiliated membership from NPA.

When Is It Time to Move On?

A postdoc experience is often a leap of faith. You might make decisions about what’s next for you after your doctoral program based on need, opportunity, ambition, passion, interest, or a combination of these factors. Once you land a postdoc position, you will learn different things about yourself, and certainly you will also learn things about your research group that were not always clear through the interview process.

With this newsletter, we pose the question – when is it time to move on? There are numerous factors to consider, but the main thing to know is: it is healthy to ask this question, regardless of your current experience (whether 6 months or 6 years into your postdoc).

Is It Time to Change Groups?

Are you getting the opportunities for growth and experience that are important for your next career steps? It is not uncommon for a PI to hire a postdoc because of a skillset they bring to the group. This is a good thing; but, if you are simply reproducing skills and experiences from your graduate research, you are not growing. You are just working. A postdoc should be both – work and professional growth.

Are you in a mentoring or work environment where you can flourish? Postdocs have diverse needs when it comes to mentoring and work environments. Learn more about your own needs and seek an environment, a mentor, and a research group that provides the experience you need to become your best.

What about letters of recommendation? If you truly have a difficult relationship with a PI, you will likely be concerned about the kind of letter of recommendation they will provide. This is among the reasons we often advocate for building a mentoring team, or a deeper bench of supervisors and researchers who can speak for you. Develop your own succinct, dispassionate narrative of what happened with a given faculty advisor if the relationship has truly broken down and you feel you cannot trust a letter from them. You can think about core elements that are useful to share, such as: I wasn’t getting enough independence in this particular lab group and I need to grow further; we had differences of opinion regarding best directions for the work; I learned a considerable amount but we never connected and it made it difficult to sustain the working relationship… You can make it a positive story – one that emphasizes what you are seeking more than what you are not getting. Regardless of your feelings, it doesn’t look good to future employers if you talk badly about your former supervisor.

Is it Time to Leave Postdoc-ing Behind Altogether?

Postdoc experiences are great for building your professional network, gaining more skills and experience, and also doing important self-reflection regarding what kind of career is really going to be meaningful for you.

When you’ve garnered enough skills and experience to be competitive, move on! Because of imposter syndrome, some of us may never feel truly ready. Or myths may circulate about what it takes to be competitive in the job market. Do your own research on what your field needs, and get feedback from several people about your track record. Hiring committees are comprised of many people and it can help to get diverse perspectives about your strengths and where your gaps may be.

Or, after more time in an academic research setting, you may now have enough information to know this isn’t the right trajectory for you. Maybe for what you want to do next, you don’t need more advanced research training, but instead need to cultivate other skills or experiences. A variety of self-assessment tools can help you identify where your particular interests and skill sets are pointing you, and you may be surprised by the answers.

Whatever your situation, handling yourself professionally through the transitions will go a long way. Asking yourself – am I in the right place, am I getting what I need – is a lifelong practice that will serve you well in finding the best fit in work environment, supervision, and portfolio. And taking a proactive approach will help assure you get what you need. You never know until you ask! If you need help thinking these issues through, or practicing how a conversation could go with your faculty supervisor, please always feel free to sign up for an office hour or make an appointment with the OPA senior faculty advisors.

Additional Resources:

The grad student’s social media starter pack

Is it really worthwhile for grad students aspiring to academics or industry to have a social media presence? What should my social media presence look like? — Social media un-savvy
Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out! Ultimately, I think the only answer to this is: it depends. It depends on your schedule, your priorities, your skills, your preferences… It depends on you, and what you want out of your academic journey and future career.
What I can do for you is give you a few ideas of why you might want to start a social media presence and a few arguments in the other direction. I’ll also lay out some tips and resources for starting a social media presence, should you care to do so. I’ll focus on Twitter and LinkedIn, since these are the social media sites used most in the academic and business context.
A few reasons why you might start a Twitter:

Twitter allows you to connect with large communities of academics. This can mean a lot of different benefits: the sharing of resources and strategies for managing your graduate education, the sharing of sources and research ideas, and making connections with others in your field or with similar interests.
It’s an excellent opportunity to talk about your research in laypeople’s terms, and engage with a public audience. You might even find a new angle for your research!
You can follow discussions that happen at conferences, even if you can’t attend. You could also live-tweet an event, and connect with other people at the same conference.
A well-maintained Twitter presence can impress an employer.

A few reasons why you might NOT want a Twitter:

It can be a distraction
Your schedule is packed: you already have too many obligations to manage
Your discipline doesn’t have a large social media presence
You don’t enjoy it, even a little bit.

On a side note, starting a Twitter is a big time-commitment: daily updates are the norm. Bear in mind that starting a Twitter and then never using it looks, well, kind of sloppy.
A few reasons to start a LinkedIn:

It’s a great way to advertise your skills, experience and achievements!
You can connect with recruiters regarding employment opportunities
You can connect with people in your industry, or alumna of your alma mater. Some people use this feature to set up informational interviews, which can make for an excellent networking opportunity.

The reasons for not starting a LinkedIn are similar to those against Twitter. However, a LinkedIn page is much easier to maintain than a Twitter account (Twitter requires daily checking and posting, LinkedIn does not).
I hope this helps you discern whether or not you want to start a Twitter or LinkedIn page. If you’ve decided to jump into the social media waters, good for you! Here are some resources to help you get started.
Twitter:
The 10 Commandments of Twitter for Academics
Social media for academics
10 Great Twitter Chats for Grad Students
Blog post: The Tweeting Grad Student
Academic twitter accounts to check out: Shit Academics Say; Steven R. Shaw; Kate Starbird; Calling Bullshit (run by two UW professors); Clint Smith; Lego Grad Student

LinkedIn:

LinkedIn 101: How to Craft a Stellar Profile
Via UW Professional & Continuing Education: 10 Tips for Supercharging your LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn for graduate students: how to market yourself on the net (This post is old, and kind of long, but it’s a really comprehensive guide to building a marketing strategy on LinkedIn!)
31 Best LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job Seekers
LinkedIn for Job Seekers: How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

Best of luck! And be sure to follow The Graduate School on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @uwgradschool.
Sincerely,
The Grad School Guru

Strategies for Getting to Independence

As part of our Monthly Postdoc Conversation this week, we discussed challenges postdocs face when working on the pathway to establish research independence. The group discussed common situations such as:

What happens if I am doing work that just utilizes skills I already have?
How do I carve out my research direction?
What happens if my PI doesn’t let me “leave the lab”?
How do I ask for protected time?
How do I find independent resources to support independent work?

The OPA staff and UWPA leadership were on hand to offer these Tips and Tools to help you succeed in your pathway to independence:

– Negotiate up front. Ideally, release time and beginning to discuss your pathway to independence is part of your postdoc interview and will give you insight into whether it is the right environment for you. Since few people do that, what can you do next?

– Ask for what you need. Develop a plan (for research, for independent grant funding, for a professional development opportunity) and present your case to your PI. Be clear about what you are asking for, how it will help you, and how it may ultimately help the research group if that is possible. Use your broader mentoring team of trusted advisors to get feedback on your plan before you discuss it with your primary faculty supervisor. You can also talk through strategies for presenting your plan with Dr. Bill Mahoney, Senior Faculty Advisor with the OPA during his office hours (or by appointment). For tips on how to be proactive about getting the mentoring you need, see the “Managing Up” posting.

– Leverage the Federal Office of Management and Budget policy on release time within federally funded grant projects. That is, they recognize the postdoc is in a dual role of employee AND trainee and therefore require that a % of your effort should be dedicated to professional or career advancement, even when funded on a federal research grant.

– Show and share in success. If you were accepted to present on your independent work, perhaps from your doctoral research, publicly thank your current PI and research group for their ongoing support (and apply for an OPA travel grant to help you get there). All faculty value positive press, and when the departmental or School or UW news picks up on your research, they will enjoy their affiliation with you.

– “Say no to say yes.” Sometimes you have to turn down particular assignments or repeat projects if they aren’t growing your skillsets in order to create more space for new work. That said, sometimes saying yes will get you into unexpected collaborations with colleagues in other departments or across the country, which can further distinguish you from your postdoc faculty advisor.

– Establish the evidence you need to demonstrate your contributions and independence. Research is often done in teams, and it is a positive quality to pitch in and help when needed. And, sometimes four years can go by and you may find you don’t yet have a first authored paper from the work or a grant since you’ve been busy writing for other people. Sit down with your faculty advisor and look at your CV together. Discuss your career goals and what additional evidence you will need to be competitive. Is it a first authored paper? Negotiate for taking the lead on the next piece of work completed by the group (and document these decisions with the whole research team so expectations are clear to everyone).

– “Lean in.” “Just do it.” That is, fight the imposter syndrome. You might not feel ready to step out on your own, but growth happens when we take risks and push our edge. Get feedback from people you trust about your areas of strength and growth.

Let’s keep this list of tips growing. If you’ve had things work for you, or others around you, write us and let us know about them. We’ll add them to the blogpost that is archived on this topic.

Exploring Career Paths: Strategic Steps Postdocs Can Take

In late May 2016, we have had the opportunity to hear from some exceptional speakers on campus who offered their perspective and insights to postdocs regarding exploration and preparation for careers that will be the best fit for YOU. We excerpted out the following top tips shared during these workshops from guests Kelly Sullivan of the Pacific Northwest National Labs, Linette Demers from Life Science Washington, Matt O’Donnell, Professor and Dean Emeritus in Engineering, Sumit Basu and Hrvoje Benko from Microsoft Research.

Prepare: “Career planning isn’t so much about planning. But it is about preparing.” Having a clear roadmap won’t always help you, as it may limit you to opportunities or serendipity when something unexpected arises. Instead, invest in preparing for a range of possibilities – diversify your skill sets, cultivate curiosity, and build your networks.
Assess your skills: What is academic research training you for? In part, academic research training is about asking important research questions, developing and pursuing methods to answer those questions, and using results to define outcomes and your next questions. You are also learning how to work in teams, how to deliver results, and a full range of transferable skills. Learn to talk about your skills and interests in broader more generalizable terms than perhaps your specific, immediate research project may suggest.
Assess your strengths, passion, work style: Talk with your mentor team, or those who have worked with you and know you, and ask: “what do you think I am uniquely good at?” “What do you see as my top contribution(s) to a team or project?” Use free assessments like those offered by Doug’s Guides to get a better sense of what kind of work environment will be the best fit for you.
Explore what is out there: Your research training alone is not career preparation, even for academic positions. You have to do something more proactive. Develop your “story” about who you are, what your passions are, and how you want to contribute. What opportunities exist? Ask people: I think your job sounds really interesting. How did you get here? Cultivate an opening question “I’m new to this industry/sector, can you tell me what you do?” Get involved with more than just building technical skills in your laboratory.
Understand impact: Learn what is valued and expected in each kind of organization and work setting. Ask: “what does success or impact look like here in this sector, in this organization”? And then ask yourself – is that metric of success and impact meaningful for me. Is this how I want to contribute, and where my strengths lie.
Gain experience: All the guests discussed the importance of getting out “there” and developing experience and exposure in other sectors, even for a short stint: giving a talk, participating in seminars/sessions that are open to others outside the organization, doing a short 4-12 week internship. These conversations and experiences will both help you decide what sector feels like a good fit for you, and will help distinguish you if you apply for a job in that sector.

Closing tips from speakers:

Do something you care about.
Summarize who you are without using your technical expertise as a crutch.
Let go of worrying about what you are going to “be” – focus more on problems you are passionate about. Follow your curiosity and passion.
Spend 5% of your time looking for a new job, even while happy in your current one.
Develop relationships. They will take you places and open doors, and make your career worthwhile.
Be kind, and humble. Be realistic about your limitations and acknowledge the contributions of others.

Power Skill of the Month: Pivot. Popularized in the start-up culture, “pivot” describes the ability to drop an unproductive direction or assess signs that suggest that the direction you are pursuing is not going to bear fruit. Having the ability to pivot to a new direction, release a direction that isn’t panning out, and move on with greater energy and opportunity is key regardless of what field or sector you may work in.

Originally posted on June 2, 2016.

Talking with Faculty About Diverse Careers

Spring quarter is full for everyone, and we also know that many of you are in different stages of reflecting on your career goals. You may be thinking about what you want to do upon degree completion, starting an internship, preparing application materials, or deepening your expertise in a job you already have. Throughout this process, some of you have asked: “How do I initiate a conversation my faculty advisor(s) about my professional goals?”

Do your research. It can be anxiety-provoking to think about approaching your faculty advisor or mentor about your career interests, especially if those interests diverge from you becoming research faculty at a college or university. One of the best ways to initiate a conversation with your advisor is to be prepared beforehand. Here are some tips to help you gather the baseline information you need for that conversation: Assess your work-related interests, strengths, and values to develop a more holistic awareness of who you are as a professional. Utilize the UW Career Center’s comprehensive guide on building resumes and cvs, career advice, interviewing, and job searching. Understand how the skills you are developing in graduate school are indeed transferable across fields and industries. Peruse job postings (and volunteer opportunities) that resonate with your self-assessments, whether they are based in non-profit, industry, or government sectors. Research professional associations affiliated with the fields you are interested in, and contact their members via their websites or LinkedIn. Set up informational interviews with individuals from professional associations, or with employees from companies and organizations that you can imagine yourself working at–to grow your networks.

Get in the habit of career planning over time. The strategies noted above are part of a larger process of intentional career planning. This is a lot of work, but well worth the effort. Intentional career planning is necessary, if you want to move forward in both knowing and reaching your professional goals. Break your goals up into smaller tasks, and work on them for 30 min. to an hour each week. You will move forward one step at a time, rather than trying to tackle it all at once.

Develop and bring materials with you. When you do talk with your faculty advisor, you can bring a simple one page proposal of the career exploration you are engaged in, including sources you are researching and near-term plans for learning more about different options.

Prepare for different responses. You may reach out to one faculty advisor or several. In fact, we encourage you to meet with more than one mentor on your team to widen your potential for support. Practice role playing scenarios with a trusted colleague or friend, where you engage in a conversation about your career interests. Ask your friend to mimic the most unsupportive response to the most supportive response. Utilize these mock responses to gauge what your next steps will be. For example, maybe you find out your advisor has no interest in talking about diverse career opportunities with you but is still fully supportive of your intellectual and technical growth as it pertains to your discipline only. Whom else can you identify (within or outside of your mentoring team) that will advocate for your need to explore diverse career paths?

Help your advisor help you. It is highly likely that your faculty advisor was trained to be a teacher and researcher first and foremost, so they may not have the experience to guide you in exploring diverse career pathways. Share with them your knowledge of all the professional development resources you are accessing (networking, professional associations, social media, UW Career Centers, etc.). Forward them information about campus events, such as job fairs, the Core Programs community college careers panel, or workshops sponsored by the Career Center like How to Find a Job Outside of Academia for Humanities and Social Sciences PhDs. By doing this, you’ll be facilitating a reciprocal learning process about your professional development with your advisor.

All right, we’re totally rooting for you! Please feel free to follow up with us, and let us know if these strategies worked for you. And let us know if you have other suggestions.

Warmly,
Jaye Sablan, Kelly Edwards, Ziyan Bai
Core Programs, UW Graduate School